


How To Know He Loves You

by klavscaroline



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 06:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16444946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klavscaroline/pseuds/klavscaroline
Summary: After Klaus left Mystic Falls ten years ago, she thought that he had forgotten about her, until one day, he shows up at her doorstep to fulfil a promise he made to her all those years ago. During their trip around the world, she receives a link to an article from Kol Mikaelson, titled '5 Undeniable Signs He's In Love With You', because let's face it, these two are idiots, but more specifically, idiots in love and denial. And there really is no clearer way to make them see that than a list to tell you how you know he really loves you.





	How To Know He Loves You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UppityBitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UppityBitch/gifts).



> This story is for the lovely Uppity Bitch, I hope you enjoy it! As requested, there’s no angst, no Hayley, no cami, and since I never watched TO season 1-4, anything in that. Warning: major fluff ahead and romantic cliches

When she was fourteen, she thought she would have it all figured out by the time she was thirty. Things like friendship, grief and love shouldn’t come as a puzzle to her, especially after everything she’s been through. But as one should expect from being the object of affection of the Original Hybrid, things were never simple.

 

In fact, Klaus Mikaelson was anything but simple, you don’t live a thousand years without a few life lessons learned the hard way. It was perhaps these life lessons that made him into one of the most powerful creatures alive. That, and the fact that he literally cannot be killed (trust her, she’s tried). Over the millenia, he had mastered the skills of manipulation to fit his agenda.

 

Which is why it was terribly concerning to find out that after about a decade since he left Mystic Falls, he was apparently still very much into her. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of him every now and then, he was after all her biggest _what if,_ but if there was anything that she had learnt from being a vampire for over a decade, it was that you could never be too cautious, especially when it came to your heart because one would never knew when it might just get ripped out (figuratively and literally, of course).

 

So as much as it flattered her (immensely) to hear such news after bumping into his brother, Kol Mikaelson, on her travels to Milan, she decided it was in her best interest to push it to the back of her mind.

 

That is, until he showed up.

 

_She had to admit, the bath in this hotel in Milan was pretty stellar, completely justifying her two-hour long soak. If she wasn’t a vampire, she was sure she would be mistaken as a walking prune, but alas, after reading a pile of fashion magazines, she decided to act on that inspiration and hit the streets for some shopping after dinner._

 

_Wrapping her long blonde locks in a towel and a robe around her body, she rummaged the large closet for a nice ensemble when she heard a knock on the door. Perfect timing, she thought, thank goodness for room service._

 

_“Come in,” she called out, “You can put it on the counter by the entrance, thank you!” She was already opening her fridge for a bag of blood for a perfect finishing touch._

 

_She heard the door open and close but when she turned around, it was clear that the person who entered was not room service. Not unless room service would stand within an arm’s length and held a trademark smirk._

 

_“Hello, love,” he greeted, sounding exactly like he did ten years ago, and every time he appeared in her dreams since._

 

_“You!” she exclaimed, in complete and utter shock, squeezing the blood bag a little too hard that it was spilling all over the floor._

 

_“Yes, me,” he replied swiftly, “I must say that I’m delighted you decided to go on this world tour like we talked about all those years ago. I am, however, disappointed that it didn’t include me”_

 

_“So you decided the best way to remedy that is to insert yourself into my trip? And besides, why would I? It’s not like you made an effort to find me all these years” Caroline said, sounding a little too bitter for her supposed nonchalance._

 

_“Trust me, I have good reasons for that, but now that everything is sorted, I do believe I owe you a tour”_

 

_Being incredibly skeptical of his intentions, she quickly shot him down despite her heart pounding at his suggestion, “How about no?”_

 

_“Take a chance, love. I promise you won’t find a tour guide quite like me,” he said with a tone of sincerity, his eyes twinkling with amusement and dare she say, hope, “I would love to take you to Rome, Paris, Tokyo…,” he remembered after all this time._

 

_And at this point, who was she to resist?_

 

But all that was a week ago. And now she was sitting with her feet propped up on the sofa of their hotel in Paris, the second stop (after Milan) of their _tour du monde_ before they had to return… home, wherever that was.

 

And wasn’t that such a strange concept. If you asked her a year ago where home was, she would’ve said Mystic Falls in a single heartbeat. But ever since her mother’s death and the fact that people have complimented her on her flawless skin at the age of thirty more often than not, she decided it was time to move on. There was nothing there for her anymore, nothing but pain and memories of what could’ve been.

 

So she packed up her bags and went on her trip around the world. It was time she got to explore it, now that nothing was holding her back. Jet setting around London, Madrid, Santorini, Prague and now most recently, Milan, she subconsciously never set foot in Rome, Paris nor Tokyo until now. There was something that told her to wait, because a decade or so ago, she promised to go with someone else.

 

And there were many times she would berate herself for being so silly. Why would he, Klaus Mikaelson, a man who had lived a thousand years, met millions of people, remember a barely five minute conversation between them, let alone care enough to do something about it.

 

But just like so many times before when it came to him, he proved her wrong and as much as she would like to deny it, it made her feel some kind of way.

 

She looked up to check on the man in question and found that he was still concentrating on his painting of the Paris skyline from their room. She smiled at just how relaxed he looked when she felt her phone buzz beside her and found a text message from an unfamiliar number.

 

Confused, she opened the text that revealed a link to an article, ‘ _5_ _Undeniable Signs He’s in Love with You’_

 

For a moment, she thought somebody must have mixed up her phone number with another, but then she felt another buzz.

 

_If you don’t believe me, see for yourself - Kol_

 

Caroline groaned, reminded of her last conversation with the youngest Mikaelson brother.

 

_She was walking around the unusually empty Milan Cathedral when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, it was as though someone had been watching her._

 

_She turned around, her arms stretched out ready to attack, when the person behind her reacted in a much quicker speed._

 

_“Easy,” he said in a semi-defensive position, “I would hate to have to injure my future sister-in-law”_

 

_“Kol?” She asked, the last time she saw him, he was killed by her friends in a plan she had been feeling remorseful for ever since._

 

_“Back from the dead, but don’t worry, I don’t hold grudges,” he said proudly, “You know, of all the people to bump into, I find you. This must be fate,” he sighed dramatically._

 

 _“And what exactly does ‘_ fate’ _have planned for us?” She asked sarcastically with air quotations, deciding to humour him for once._

 

_“For me to play Cupid of course, you haven’t seen my brother lately, have you?”_

 

_“Klaus? I haven’t seen or heard from him in a decade,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment._

 

_“A thousand years old and still an idiot,” Kol pretended to shake his head in exasperation, “Though, to let you in on a little secret, I can assure you that he is still very much into you“_

 

_“You’re crazy,” she said in disbelief, though his words piqued her interest._

 

_“I would know, I’ve seen it both here and on The Other Side,” he said vaguely, before adding “If only you could see it too...”_

 

It seems that he must’ve thought this was the best way for her to “see it”, reading some article aimed for all too insecure teenagers.

 

But as ridiculous as it was to evaluate her love life based on the writings of some unknown author, the small part of her that is the eternal teenager wanted to read it. It was after all a guilty pleasure of hers when she was human.

 

 _Just a quick skim,_ she thought to herself, _it doesn’t count as reading… right?_

 

What started as a skim ended up in her jotting the points down in a little notebook that she carried around for all her daily random thoughts. It was as close to a diary as she had.

 

 _This is purely for fun, nothing serious,_ she convinced herself.

 

What she didn’t know was that she would spend the next indefinite amount of time thinking about it.

 

* * *

 

  
****1\. The Way He Looks At You** **

  _He looks at you like he can’t believe you exist, and more importantly, it’s like he can’t look away_

 

She really wasn’t all that surprised when Klaus suggested that they spend the day at the Louvre. Though she wasn’t much of an expert on art, she could certainly appreciate the structure that held some of the world’s most beautiful masterpieces, and you most definitely cannot claim to have had the whole Paris experience without at least visiting it once.

 

The museum as usual was crowded with tourists and locals alike. People spoke in variety of languages, leaving Caroline in utter awe that a place like this could unite people from all parts of the world.

 

They walked past the sculpture of Venus, the Raft of Medusa, Mona Lisa, and famous works that she had only previous heard much of, but never seen in proximity. She had to agree that Klaus was the perfect tour guide for a place like this, for he had a story to go along with every notable one, having been alive during most of their creations and even being acquaintances with some of their makers.

 

“And what about this one?” She pointed, the sculpture of a beautiful woman catching her eye.

 

When Klaus didn’t reply, she turned to him and saw that he was a few feet away, looking at her in a way that made her feel as though she was the work of art in this splendid museum. When he felt her gaze, he snapped out of his trance and asked sheepishly, “Sorry? I didn’t hear you, love”

 

“I was just wondering what this one was,” she gestured again to the sculpture, “It’s beautiful”

 

“This is the sculpture of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, Warfare and Handicraft. People regard her as the warrior Goddess and you see right there? That’s the head of the gorgon, Medusa, who was slain by Perseus and given to her as a gift to adorn her shield. Personally, she’s my favourite”

 

“Mine too,” Caroline concurred, as she digested the story for a few moments before moving onto the next display.

 

Surrounded by all these beautiful pieces of art, he couldn’t help but be mesmerised by the woman beside him. He had been to the Louvre numerous times before, and had always found it just as interesting as the first time, but now that he was here with Caroline, none of the artwork seemed to capture his attention quite like she did.

 

She, it turned out, was the greatest centrepiece of them all.

 

* * *

 

  
**2\. Your Happiness is as important to him as his own**

_In fact, he may value yours even more than his own. A man who loves you will want to learn what you love and don’t love and ensures that he can make you the happiest you can be_

 

No one ever warned her that Rome would be so hot. With all the open spaces around, there was barely any shade in sight. Even with her loose floral sundress, which respectfully covered her knees in case they were visiting the famous churches, she was still feeling the heat waves coming up from under her feet.

 

“Maybe we should take a break,” Klaus suggested, “I didn’t think it was possible for a vampire to look sunburnt,” he teased, somehow managing to not look like a sweaty mess. The pair had just finished sightseeing at the Pantheon, and was now walking towards the Colosseum.

 

“I’m fine, Klaus,” she reassured, “We have so many places to go in Rome, we can’t afford to stop now”

 

“We have all the time in the world,” he said with a smile, admiring the way her hair reflected in the sunlight, “How about instead of walking, let’s take a taxi?”

 

“And miss all the beautiful scenery?”

 

Even though he was feeling extremely hot right now, with the sun beating directly down on his dark blond locks, the look on Caroline’s face left him telling himself to suck it up and keep walking. Perhaps he may have been fine with missing some of the beautiful architecture that Rome had to offer, but it was Caroline’s first time here and he wanted to make the most out of this experience. He did promise to be the perfect tour guide, after all.

 

“I could really use a bottle of cold water, though,” she said.

 

“How about you stand over there by the shade and I’ll go get us something?” He gestured towards  the narrow alleyway by the sidewalk, “I think I saw a store just down the next street. I’ll be back in a minute”

 

“Thanks, Klaus,” she said, squeezing his hand to let him know her appreciation.

 

Following his suggestion, she went to the shade to wait for him. She was deep in thought as she recalled the list that Kol sent her and mentally ticked off the first one. She was getting that feeling you have when you know someone likes you, and she was hyper aware every time he looked at her and she was finding it harder and harder to control her blush. But she was quickly interrupted before she could stop the smile from creeping onto her face.

 

“What’s a beautiful girl like you doing out here all alone?” A man came up from behind her.

 

“I’m waiting for someone,” she said, hoping he would go away so she wouldn’t have to resort to violent measures.

 

“Boyfriend?”

 

She hesitated, unsure of how to respond. They weren’t dating for sure, but they were certainly not just friends. And it seemed like the man caught her hesitation because the next moment he had her backed up against the wall, his facial features morphing into one that she often caught on herself and others like her.

 

“You can’t compel me,” she said, ready to fight him off, “I’m a vampire”

 

“Your lack of heartbeat gave it away,” he said cockily, “But lucky for you, I’m not a vampire”

 

“Hybrid…,” noticing the colour in his eyes.

 

“Well done,” he brushed his finger on her cheek, his fangs dangerously close to her neck, “You surprise me”

 

“You’re in for a much bigger surprise,” she muttered, closing her eyes so she wouldn’t provoke him further and started counting the seconds before he would be ripped off her.

 

“Wha-,” true to her prediction, he was flung backwards onto the pavement before he could finish his sentence and was lifted by his collar.

 

“I should rip your head off,” Klaus threatened, his eyes flashing gold.

 

“I-I’m sorry, Mr. Mikaelson, I didn’t know,” the man stuttered, immediately recognising the Original Hybrid, “I wasn’t planning on doing anything, I swear. I was just going to scare her a little and take her daylight ring, but I wasn’t actually going to hurt her”

 

“You don’t need a daylight ring,” Caroline cocked her eyebrow, doubtful of his story.

 

“It’s not for me,” the man cried out desperately, “It’s for my wife, she’s a vampire but these rings are hard to come by and the witches here don’t want us roaming around in the day… I swear, it’s the truth, you can compel me to tell you everything… I’m sorry, please,” he begged.

 

Klaus didn’t care, let this be a lesson to the Hybrids who dared cross him. He stuck his hand into the man’s chest, feeling for his vital organ.

 

“Wait!” Caroline called out, “Don’t”

 

“He wanted to hurt you,” he protested, still glaring at the man.

 

“But he didn’t,” she countered, how could she let the man die knowing that he was driven by desperation. She touched Klaus on his arm and he switched his gaze towards her, and she gave him a reassuring look that she was fine, “We all do things for family”

 

Klaus pondered for a moment at his dilemma. On one hand, he wanted to rip this man’s heart out to assert his authority as Alpha. If he let him go, the others will no longer fear him and his position among his subordinates would be threatened. But on the other hand, he knew this wasn’t what Caroline wanted, and she deserved someone who valued life after everything she had lost.

 

Having made his decision, he realised that one was more important than the other and he turned his attention back to the man, “You’re in luck that the lady spoke in your favour, but you won’t be so lucky the next time. I don’t show the same mercy twice,” he removed his hand from the man’s chest and dropped him on the floor.

 

“Th-Thank you, Miss,” the Hybrid directed at Caroline, with what little energy he had left, “I’m sorry”

 

Caroline shook her head and gave him a small smile, only relieved that it didn’t take a much deadlier turn. She went to Klaus who stood by the side, glaring at nothing in particular.

 

She tiptoed to gain a little extra height and pecked him on the cheek, “Thank you,” she said sincerely, knowing what he had to sacrifice to make this choice.

 

“Only for you, Caroline,” he said in a small voice, “It was all for you,” he repeated the words he said to her a decade ago, only this time, it wasn’t out of spite, but out of admiration for the vampire who could carried so much love that she could even find it in herself to give him a second chance.

 

"One day," she continued, "I believe that you’ll rule over the supernaturals, be the King you’ve always wanted to be, but it won’t be out of fear, but instead, out of mercy, forgiveness and respect” she said, “You think you’re only capable of evil, but I know you're so much more than that”

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

“I know because I’ve seen it,” she said with a smile, taking his hand in hers, “Everyday”

 

He was a thousand years old, and not many things surprised him. But in that moment, he was dazed by her diligence and grace that it made it seem as though she was the one with a millennium of experience.

 

“Come on now, the Colosseum is waiting,” she led him towards the landmark, and for her, he was willing to be a follower.

 

* * *

 

**3\. He Misses You When You’re Apart**

_When you love someone, you miss them and look forward to the days you’ll finally see them again_

 

“You know… I’ve always wondered why you never came back to find me,” she said, her fingers fidgeting nervously with her blanket. They were now on flight to Tokyo, the last destination of their trip, “I mean, you were probably really busy, I get it, but I just thought… hoped even, that maybe you would’ve called”

 

“Like I said, it wasn’t my choice,” he explained, “If it was, I would have never left in the first place,” it became his turn to take her hand, as he stroked the back of it in a slow and easy pattern, “I wanted to find you, all the time, but I didn’t want to put you in danger, especially when I wasn’t there if anything happened. It would’ve destroyed me”

 

She wasn’t sure if it was the cold from the aircraft or his words, but she felt a shiver down her spine and the racing of her long-dead heart.

 

“I’ve thought of New Orleans as my kingdom for centuries, I built it up from dust, but when Mikael found out and chased after us, I left, abandoning my home and leaving it in the hands of my then-trusted ally, Marcel,” he elaborated, “But after years of neglect, I went back to discover that things were not the way they were meant to be. I didn’t build the city to be a war zone, but somehow, it became one. Vampires, werewolves and witches couldn’t co-exist and the city no longer thrived in a way that it once had, and I owed it to my legacy to do something about it

 

“But I had a lot of enemies, and Marcel had built himself an army in my absence. We fought for years and years, and he threatened the lives of people I cared about. He turned my own sister against me, killed my companions in front of me, brought Mikael back to haunt me. I couldn’t imagine what he would do to you if he found out how much you meant to me. He had all communications in the city tapped, and he had eyes everywhere, contacting you became too high of a risk to take. But trust me, love, I wanted to, more often than you could ever imagine”

 

“I think I can, because there were so many times I thought to pick up the phone and call, but I couldn’t,” she opened up to him, feeling ashamed of her own cowardice, “I was so scared that you wouldn’t feel the same way anymore and that you would have forgotten who I was, because at the end of the day, who am I compared to all these great people you’ve met in your lifetime”

 

He looked at her as though he couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. Why couldn’t she see the same thing he could? She was the light and strength that came bouncing into his life uninvited when he least expected it, and she stayed there in his mind even when she was hundreds of miles away because she left a mark much deeper than any other.

 

Brushing her blonde tendrils behind her ear, he whispered, “You, Caroline, are everything. Never doubt that”

 

She broke out into a huge smile and cupped his face, giving him a kiss that conveyed everything she felt throughout these few weeks. When he reciprocated, she finally felt content, at ease, and at home.

 

She laid her head on his shoulder as he held her close, tucked in next to his body, and she closed her eyes, letting sleep consume her.

 

People say it's hard to sleep on airplanes, but this was one of the best she had ever had.

 

* * *

  

**4\. He Treats You Like Priority**

_Everyone gets a little busy, but he will make spending time with you a priority_

 

Tokyo was beautiful, everything about it was so uniquely different that it almost felt like she had travelled to a whole new planet. From the bright lights of the city, to the food, and the culture, it had exceeded above and beyond her wildest dreams.

 

“This is such a beautiful place,” she voiced out her thoughts, as they stood on top of the Tokyo Tower, overlooking the capital city, “I’m so happy we came”

 

“I am, too,” he said in agreement, “Not many people know this about me, but I’ve always wanted to live here, but I’ve never actually been”

 

“Why haven’t you?”

 

“I’ve always had something that had to be done. Everywhere I went had a purpose, whether it was to recruit an army, find a doppelganger, or exact revenge. Taking time to enjoy my life wasn’t a priority and when it came to a choice between that and power, it would always be the latter. But now…”

 

“Now?”

 

“Now that I’m here with you, all I can think of is how much I want to stay,” he smiled genuinely, looking out the window.

 

They stood in a comfortable silence before she began to speak again.

 

“Did you know that of all the people I’ve dated before, you’re the only person who has ever even considered taking me on a trip anywhere, let alone fulfil that promise,” Caroline mused, dropping a kiss on his shoulder.

 

“Oh, so we’re dating now?” He said, he turned to her, his eyes full of mirth.

 

“Don’t tease! You know what I mean,” she said, only a little embarrassed at her bold claim, “It’s always been ‘I’m sorry, Care, I’m too busy with this and that, maybe next time’ but next time never came and it would always be just another empty promise, which is why when you said you would take me around the world, I didn't believe you at first because I’ve been let down so many times before”

 

“Well, unlike your ex-boyfriends, who were clearly idiots to let you go, I actually want to see the world with you, take you to places that even I’ve never been before. Even if I had to drop everything to be here, I would. It’s nice to have a few first times even when you’re a thousand years old with the person you want to be with the most. This is just one of many,” he said that as though it was a promise.

 

“I’ll hold you out on that,” she laughed.

 

“Well, I’m thinking that we should extend our trip, stay here for a couple more months, get to know the real beauty of Tokyo” he suggested.

 

Her heart pounded at the thought of being alone with him in this foreign city for a few more months, but as much as it excited her, she had to be logical, “But don’t you have to go back to New Orleans? Things have just started to stabilise and you’ve worked so hard on it. We can always come back another time,” despite wanting nothing more than to stay, she couldn’t be selfish when it came to him.

 

“I think it’s time I chose happiness, don’t you think?”

 

“Which is?” Already knowing his answer, but wanting to hear it anyway.

 

“You,” he said, kissing her three hundred and thirty three metres above ground.

 

* * *

  

**5\. He Wants To Give To You**

_Relationships are about giving, not taking, and when you love someone, you’ll give them everything you have_

 

But of course, every trip had to end in due time and after spending three months in Tokyo, the pair headed back to New Orleans together.

 

She knew she wanted to be with him and there was nothing stopping them now, so they decided that the next logical move was for Caroline to move to New Orleans so they could try to make it work.

 

And in the back of her mind, she knew they would.

 

That’s not to say that things were easy. Having to adjust to a whole different lifestyle was difficult. New Orleans was not a small town like Mystic Falls, but it was a supernatural hub of generations and generations of powerful creatures who liked to challenge the city’s new foreign queen to see what she was made out of.

 

Despite the challenges, it was a huge honour for her, it really was, the fact that Klaus was letting her rule beside him in the city that he had built and spent years fighting for. There was no greater representation of trust and devotion than this.

 

So even in her moments of self-doubt, when she wasn’t sure if she was the right person for the job, she remembered that _he chose her._ Not Elena, not anyone else, but her.

 

She was still slowly settling into her master bedroom with Klaus when she found the notebook she had long forgotten sticking out from her suitcase. She hadn't glanced at it since she had written the list. 

 

**_How To Know He Loves You_ **

  1. The Way He Looks At You
  2. Your Happiness is as important to him as his own
  3. He Misses You When You’re Apart
  4. He Treats You Like Priority
  5. He Wants To Give To You



 

She looked through all these points and realised that she could come up with more than one occasion where he had demonstrated them. He may not have said it, but she knew that he loved her and that’s what mattered.

 

“What’re you looking at,” he hugged her from behind, greeting her with a kiss on her head.

 

“It’s nothing,” she began, feeling a little silly, but before she could shut the notebook, he had already caught a glimpse.

 

“How to know he loves you?” Klaus read out, “You wouldn’t be thinking about me, would you?”

 

“I-,”

 

“Because I can assure you, you don’t need an article to tell you this. I love you, Caroline”

 

She smiled, feeling genuine happiness.

 

“I love you, too”

**Author's Note:**

> The end, and somewhere in the background, Kol is giving himself a mental high-five cos wow his plan actually worked. Also, I see a lot of stories talking about them going to Paris or Rome, but very little about Tokyo, but I love that city (and Japan in general) a lot and I hope that showed in the story. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, please leave a review if you enjoyed it!


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